A lousy economy. An up-and-down year for Microsoft. The rise and fall of media. There was certainly plenty to cover in 2009 when it came to technology news. But what was the biggest story of the year? We're winding down The Flashies, our year-end online awards of the biggest events in technology. Today marks the last category -- Tech Story of the Year -- so make sure to cast your vote.

As you can see, we're focusing not on individual posts but rather on overarching stories that we followed throughout the year. Continue reading for our take on each story. As with previous categories, feel free to offer a write-in candidate in the comments below. We'll announce all the Flashies winners in a post next week.

Apple's booming iPhone ecosystem: People have been talking for years about the power of mobile computing. But it took Apple's Steve Jobs and crew to actually crack the code. They did it with the iPhone and the App Store, which gained considerable momentum in 2009. By November, the company had announced that developers had created more than 100,000 applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Dawn of e-books: Amazon.com has been leading the charge into this market with its Kindle reader, and Jeff Bezos is touting the potential for the device to change the way people read. With Amazon facing competition from Sony and others, it's promising to be an interesting market to watch in the coming years, even if electronic books turn out to be overhyped in the end.

Demise of old media, and rise of new media: Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media came of age during the past year, moving into the mainstream and becoming widely used tools around the world. Meanwhile, the old media model -- which had been deteriorating for years after the rise of Craigslist, YouTube and other online properties -- further crumbled in 2009. Some of the country's leading media companies filed for bankruptcy. In a sign of the changing landscape, the iconic Seattle Post-Intelligencer ceased publishing in print and began attempting to shift to an online model.

Microsoft's up-and-down year: The Redmond company began the year with the first widespread layoffs in its history, and finished with the successful release of Windows 7, salvaging the reputation of its flagship product. In the meantime, the company saw its early momentum stall in the mobile phone market, experienced slumping revenue, and cut a series of venerable consumer products and services. All in all, a very bumpy year.

Recession, and a jobless recovery: The job cuts in the technology industry this year paled in comparison to those that followed the dot-com bust in the early part of the decade. But for those who were affected, of course, they have been just as painful. Despite signs of a recovery in recent months, local tech companies have continued to make modest cuts, and the Washington state unemployment rate overall is above 9 percent.

Struggling IPO and VC market: It was tough to make a buck in 2009. Only one Washington company completed an initial public offering this year, and that ended a two-year dry spell. Acquisitions also were few and far between. Meanwhile, venture capital investing dropped, returns slipped and at least one Seattle venture firm decided to wind down. That news spells trouble for those trying to make money by investing in startup companies, with cries throughout the year that the venture capital model is simply "broken."

[Flickr photo of glass via Nesster]

THE FLASHIES: PREVIOUS POLLS

Tech Buzzword of the Year

Celebrity Tech Endorsement of 09

Startup Deal of the Year

Coolest Thing We Saw This Year

Tech Triumph of the Year

Craziest Tech Idea of the Year

Biggest Tech Debacle of the Year

Technology Platform of the Year

Hire of the Year

Microsoft Video of the Year